belonging

Poetry·Stella White, age 11 — A girl lies in her father's childhood bed in London, watching trains pass and imagining his life decades earlier in the same room.

Poetry·Astrid May Steiner-Manning, age 12 — Runners collapse together in winter snow, their bodies folding into each other like marionettes, transforming exhaustion into shared laughter and connection.

Story·Nisha Klein, age 13 — A girl arrives at summer camp hopeful but becomes the target of exclusion, watching the group turn on different girls throughout the month.

Story·Abigail D'Agosta and Kendra Sommers, age 13 — After her father loses his job, a girl moves from a suburban house to a rural farm, resisting the change until a friendship with neighbor Willa helps her find home...

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 11 — An eleven-year-old meticulously plans to run away from her three younger brothers and endless family picnics, but when teenagers invade her hideout, she races home to find unexpected comfort.

Story·Sophia Chang, age 13 — A girl with amber eyes discovers she's a daughter of Bastet, joining a pack of feline women who hunt together under the stars.

Story·Sammy Westfall, age 13 — A Filipino girl accompanies her mother to clean a wealthy American family's mansion and discovers that despite their poverty, her family has something the rich family lacks.

Story·Mathilde Fox-Smith, age 10 — A girl discovers her mother's missing camellias are being taken by a Mexican neighbor who weaves flower crowns, leading to friendship and tragedy when the neighbor's sister drowns.

Story·Elam Fifer-Whiting, age 13 — A boy's subway journey becomes a catalog of encounters — a homeless woman, street performers, a soul-reading stranger — each revealing the city's complex humanity.

Story·Eloise Wendt, age 12 — A California girl moves to snowy Minnesota after her parents' divorce, chases a coatless winter cyclist, and discovers an unexpected friendship with someone who feels just as out of place.